Teaching beyond the vision: tools and strategies that support the inclusion of the visual impaired in a classroom

Abstract

The national education system is undergoing some changes in relation to teaching strategies and the approach of students in the classroom. The inclusion of students with some difficulties, among them the visual ones, focus of this writing, is a constant in the pedagogical environment. National legislation aims to guarantee the right of everyone to be included in society, without discrimination and in an integral and quality way. However,  teachers still feel insecure, confrontation and some doubts about the inclusive process in the classroom. With the objective of identifying which resources the Universidade do Vale do Taquari (UNIVATES) offers to include students with visual impairment in the classroom, the present study has as a central theme the discussion about the educational resources for visually impaired students. The research methodology used was the study of cases, based on bibliographical research and research instruments, such as interview and questionnaire. The proposal involved professionals from UNIVATES, located in Lajeado-RS, who shared different situations experienced with students with visual impairment throughout a semester. The results of this research showed that, although the referred Higher Education Institution (IES) provides resources and tools that assist the visually impaired student in the classroom, it is still very low the adhesion of this public in technical and undergraduate courses.